Improvement in wateh-whbbls



rato ai in..

JACOB M. oooii, or LAKE VILLAGE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, Assiettes or ONE-HALEHis meer ro BENJAMIN J. ooLE, 0E SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent 1Y0. 107,007, dated September G, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame To all icliom it may concern Be it known that l, JACOB M. (Joon, ofLake \'il lage, in the county of Belknap and State of New Hampshire,have invented an Improved \Vater Wheel; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying?r ldrawing making part of this specification-Figur'e 1 being a lop view of the improved waterwhcel.

Figure 2, a side view thereof.

Figure 3, a horizontal section of the same in a plane indicated by theline a; x, fig. .l.

Figure 4, a central vertical section of the saine.

l igure 5, a side view, showing amnditied construction of the gates ofthe water-wheel.

lligure (i, a side view of the wheel itself, detached.

Like letters designate correspondiner 'parts in all of the figures. A

The tirst feature of my improvement consists in the construction of thetop, a, oi' the case, A, with a cenral opening therein large eimugh toallow the top to come oli over the shalt. o, of the wheel, withoutrcmorin the couplinf,r therefrom, or any pullcy or gearwheci, if usedthereon, and in covering this opening with a removable cap ur dome, l,made in two parts, so that it also can be removed from the shaft Cwith-' out relooking the coupling thcrcii'om.

This cap or dome forms the upper bearing of the shaft, is provided willia soft metal bush, and has a stalling-box in it, so as to he.water-tight around the shaft.

The two parts oi' the cap or dome l, which covers the central aperturein the top Il, have respectively flanges, b b, on their contiguousedges, by which they are secured together with screws, c c, so that thecap can be taken apart and removed from the wheel-shaft C wheneverdesired, without disturbing the coupling or connecting gear of the shaltabove it. The cap also has a flange on its lower edge, by which it issecured to the top cy with screws tl 1I, so that, ou removing, the capcan he removed from the. wheel-shatt without hindrance.

The bearing in the cap is lincd with a soit metal bush, c, und has asluiting-box, y, iu its upper end, so as to prevent all leaking from thewheel-case, around the shaft li. The outer edge of the iop (iy issecured by bolts or screws to the stationary guides G (l, which projectupward l'roin the main caso A, and between which the water is admittedto the wheel. The topis raised a little inside, above thc guido. inorder to gire free room for the wheel to turn beneath, and notinterferewith the projeetinfcr holt-loads or screws onthe topwheel-plate, by which the wheel-buckets are secured to the said plate.

The next feature of my improvement consists in the construction andcombined arrangement of the gates E E, mounted in a ring. and connectedtogether, and of the stationary guides G G, also situatedln a ring, thering of gates having adjustable valve-plates, of peculiar form andarraugeinent,`and the guides, having peculiar positions, with chutesbetween them, of peculiar form, in relation t0 the wheel L within,substantially as I shall describe.

First, the gates E E are arranged at uniform distances apart, in a ring,their inner surfaces heilig accurately formed and situated in thecircumference ol' a single circle, concentric with the wheel L, and theAguides' G G are similarly arranged, at uniform and correspondingdistances apart, their outer surfaces being accuratcl y formed andsituated in the circumference of a single circle, concentric with thewheel, and coinciding with the circumference of the circle described bythe said inner surfaces of the gates, so that the gat-es fit closelyaround the guides, but may turn on their center, outside ot' the guides,without impediment. Y

Second, the inner surfaces of the guides G G do not reach quite into theperiphery of the wheel, or the outer edges 0f its buckets y p, but leavea narrow annular space between, through which a small quant-ity of watermay flow, for the purpose of obviating ii'iction and obstruction betweenthe guides and buckets.

Third, the edges ofthe guides G G, forming the outlines ot' the chutes KK, through which the water is admitted to thc wheel L, on all sides arein planes tangential to the outer periphery of the wheel, so that thewater is directed to the buckets in acourse tu produce the best effect,and, whcn the gates are moved to open the chutes to the. water, as shownin iig. 3,

their rear inclined surfaces, 'r t', are in line with the adjacent edgesof the guides, so that thc water is di rected in unbent sheets upon thewheel.

Fourth, the front edges of the gates E lil are covered withvalve-plates, h h, made ofelastic metal, and thin enough to bend andyield to pressure, their inner edges reachinor inward through thechutes, inst in front of the edges ot' the gates. This part of theplates forms planes tangential to the wheel, or is slightly curved,butlies in the saine general direction7 as shown, si) that they willshut tightly against the rea-r edges of the guides (`r G when thechutes' are closed by the gates, and the chutes will always retain awedgeshaped form, whether wholly or only partially opened thereby, andwill direct the water in straight unbroken sheets to the wheel. Theouter ends or tlanges of the valve-plates bend around the outer surfacesofthe gates, to which they are attached, by set-screws ifiy passing,rthrough horizontal slots in the plates, for the purpose of adjusting thepositions ofthe plates acculrately,'tliat they may close all the chiitessimultagenerally from ten to thirty-six, according to the correspondingsizes of wheels.

The gates E Eure mounted between tirol-ing llanges, D D, to which theyare fastened. To the upper ange D a cross-bar, H, is secured, andextends; oss the top of the case. 1t has a central opening, which titi-iaround the bottom flange ot' the carp or dome B, and turns thereon as apivot-guide. A segment rack, I, projects from one side otI thecross-bar, and gears into a pinion, J, on a short vertical shaft,lig-which is mounted on the ease-top a, andiii a frame, m, secured uponthe said top, orbearings. The shalt cisturned by a hand-wheel or crank,l. By this device all the ring-gates E E are moved simultaneouslymitin-ning,r the said hand-wheel.

Another ieature of my improvement consist-s in dividing the ring-gates EE into two or more sections, or in the einploinient ot' two or morerings oi' gates, one over the other, so asto let the water into thewheel, either in dilferent quantities at the top and bottom, or all atthe bottom, as may be desired.

This improvement is shown infh'g. 5, which represents two rings or setsof gates, E E and E E', and the manner it'o1iei'atiiig-tlieiin so as toopen thelower ringer set ti'ist,'entirely, ei' partially before. theopenot' -the second orupper ring of gates commences, and 'the closing ofthose setaalsowillrbe one in advance of the other', -theonewhich'qop'ei'is last closing tirst.

. The iiieansof producing. this movement, as repreysented, is byextending th'e shaft 7c of the hand-wheel "l' down, outside o ftheqivateieivhecl ease, and placing th'ereon two piuions, l a?, oneopposite to the flange D ot' the upper gate E E, and the other oppositeto the flange D otthe lower gates E' E. On the upper flange D is a shortrack, t, into which the upper pinion gears, andon the lower tlau'ge D isa short rack,

l u, into which thelower pinion gears. These two racks are not appositeto each other, one over the other, but one is alittle to one side of theother, so that the pinion will take first into one, and move the gatesas far as desired, before the other pinion takes into its rack. Thenthere is a. cog or stop,'ii, on the lower edge of the upper riiig,.and astop, w, on the upper edge, oi" the lower ring, the two being,r soarranged as to have one strike the other, at the pioper time, andthereby bring the rack ot' the other ringinto gear with its pinion atthe moment required, and lvice' versa, on the return movement.Similarly, if there are three or more rings or gates, one opens beforeanother, in succession.

Another feature of my invention consists iu dividing the buckets@ p by ahorizontal paitit-ion-iilate, y, one in each, as 4shown at the righthand in g. 5, or two, as seen at the left hand in the same Atigure, intotwo or threecompartments z z, cach corresponding; with the double orltriple rings of gates above described. By means of' these' compartmentsonly the lower, or two lower rings or sets ot' gates, may be. opened,and

upward reaction, to relieve the weight ot the wheel on its step, as it'the whole wheel received thc water. lJhis is a- .valuable feature forsmall streams, oi' when the water is low. n v' That I claim as myinvention,and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

rlhe cover a ot' the watcr-wheel case, constructed with a large centralaperture, covered by a divided removable cap or dome, B, substantiallyas and for the purpose herein speeilicd.

Also, the ring-gates E E, with their adjustable valve-plates l1 7i, theguides G G, and chutes K K, lcoi'istructed, arranged, and combinedsubstantially` as and for the purpose herein set forth. Also, the two ormoi'ehsots ofgatcs E E and E' E, one: above the other, to cover thesaine chutes K K, in combination with buckets pp, divided intocompartments, substantially as and for thc pin-pose herein spccitied. Y

Specification signed by me January i876. JIM. COOK.

Witnesses:

, 11.15. Quilting' l f J onN ALoRien.

yet the buckets will act with as much eiiieiency, and.

